NY1

An increasing number of women who have been traumatized are turning to yoga for therapy and healing.

Yoga Helps Recenter Nation's Returning Vets

Many people turn to yoga for its relaxing and body-toning benefits, but it may do much more than that. Health Reporter Erin Billups takes a look at a program that uses yoga to help veterans transition back to civilian life... [Read more]

murrayhillnyc.org

Tournesol Wellness opened in Murray Hill a year ago on 36th Street, across from the Morgan Library. It offers a variety of programs and classes to achieve healing, and to optimize and maintain wellness. Carey Davidson, Tournesol’s CEO, is reaching out to veterans with a special program to help them make the transition back to civilian life. Many veterans return with physical injuries and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). They miss the strong sense of comradery that they had in the armed services. Carey’s approach is to address the needs of the whole person: physical, mental, and the need for community, to have a “safe haven”. Programs are customized for each veteran.

Tournesol has a veteran on staff working with Carey to enhance the program, and to make it even more applicable to the needs of veterans. Tournesol’s veteran’s program was featured in June on NBC: Pat Battle’s “The Good Fight: Inner Peace to Veterans” and also on NY1 TV.

In addition to yoga, tai chi, meditation, and other alternative methods, one of the therapies used is vibroacoustics, a table similar to a water bed that promotes relaxation and healing through sounds and vibrations. Tournesol has the only vibroacoustic table on the East Coast. I was lucky enough to be able to try it, and despite my initial skepticism, after about 35 minutes on the table, tension melted away, and I floated out. One of the veterans in the NBC video commented on how the program at Tournesol is an alternative to medications for stress.

If you want to contact Tournesol, they are at 26 East 36th Street, telephone: 646-395-1114, email: info@tournesolwellness.com, website: www.tournesolwellness.com. Tournesol Wellness is a business member of the MHNA, and you might have visited their table at the MHNA street fair in June. Tournesol offers a discount to MHNA members.